Halftime Observations: Bengals Dominating Steelers 17-0
CINCINNATI — The Bengals knew they needed to force multiple turnovers to have a shot in Monday night's game against the Steelers. That's exactly what they did in the first half.
They have a 17-0 halftime lead over the 11-2 Steelers. Pittsburgh was favored by 14.5 points entering tonight's game.
Cincinnati forced three first half turnovers that led to all 17 of their points.
First, Josh Bynes recovered a fumble that helped the Bengals take a 3-0 lead. Then, safety Vonn Bell delivered a bone crushing hit on JuJu Smith-Schuster that caused a fumble. The Bengals recovered a scored a touchdown on the ensuing possession to take a 10-0 lead.
Mackensie Alexander capped it off with an interception on the following drive. He returned it 21-yards, to the Steelers' 26-yard line.
Ryan Finley found Giovani Bernard for a 14-yard touchdown to give Cincinnati a 17-0 lead.
WATCH: Bengals Force Three First Half Turnovers Against Steelers
Bernard has both of the Bengals' touchdowns. He has 48 yards from scrimmage.
Finley completed 5-of-8 first half passes for 75 yards and one touchdown.
Meanwhile, Ben Roethlisberger is lost. He's 7-of-16 for 19 yards and one interception. The Steelers only had two first downs in the first half.
Injuries
Bengals wide receiver Tyler Boyd is out for the rest of the game after suffering a concussion in the first quarter.
The Bengals Will Win If...
They continue to fly around on defense and deliver big hits. The defense set the tone for the game.
They probably won't force three more turnovers in the second half, but they're playing with a ton of energy and have Roethlisberger off balance.
They need Finley to be serviceable on offense. The Steelers are capable of coming back and winning this game. The last thing the Bengals can do is get careless with the ball or take any bad sacks.
This was a dream start for Zac Taylor and the Bengals. If they play a clean second half, then they are certainly capable of pulling off the upset.
For more on the Bengals, including the latest NFL news, go here!
